Letter: Mr. Smith goes to court

David Pisarra‚Äôs recent column mentions that divorcing couples increasingly fight over custody of family pets. (“Canine custody concerns,” What‚Äôs the Point?, Aug. 14.) As post-modern as this sounds, this is hardly a 21st century phenomenon. In the delightful comedy “The Awful Truth” (1937), divorcing spouses Cary Grant and Irene Dunne fight for custody of their pet dog Mr. Smith. I won‚Äôt reveal the clever bit of courtroom trickery that fools the judge into awarding custody of Mr. Smith to Ms. Dunne.